


Protected

by Frasers_soulmate



Category: due South
Genre: Other, Sad, Suicidal Thoughts
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-11
Updated: 2017-10-11
Packaged: 2019-01-16 01:59:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,549
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12333192
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Frasers_soulmate/pseuds/Frasers_soulmate
Summary: Young Constable Fraser alone at the police station.It's Christmas...





	Protected

**Author's Note:**

> Even if it's a few weeks until Christmas, I just had the idea of writing a Christmas story.  
> As my muse, who had disappeared for a few weeks (for a very important reason, I must say), reappeared, I was inspired to continue my work.  
> The whole story is a bit... dark. But with a happy ending. Or something like that...
> 
> Don't worry, it was Ben's own idea. Even though the story is sad in some places, Ben and I had a lot of fun writing. He's just always doing this, but he's actually a funny guy. ;)  
> Well, Benton Fraser actually belongs to Alliance and/or Paul Haggis, who created him, but the young Fraser belongs to me... YAH! ;)
> 
> I promise to return the characters I borrow without prejudice.  
> Well, at least halfway unscathed, but this is not my fault, because most of the time they develop a life of their own and do things that I have not allowed them!  
> I take the trouble and think of a story and the naughty little things are dancing on my nose.
> 
> Especially Ben!  
> As we all know, he is very stubborn and always puts his own head through, and if he is justified, he's sulking.  
> "I do not sulk!" He says then every time, but he does. One recognizes it as he stick out his bottom lip and looks at one... so... with this incredibly blue look.  
> Then he's so sweet, you can't deny him a wish.  
> "I'm not sweet either!" He then protests and I sigh and say, "Yes, my friend, that's you. Now do what you want! "  
> That he's my friend, he's not trying to deny it. Either because he is glad that I leave him his will or because he also looks at me as a friend.  
> One day I'll ask him about it...
> 
> P.S. Now have fun and leave comments. I'm happy about it.  
> Comments and kudos are the reward of the author.
> 
> Thank you kindly, as my friend Ben Fraser would say now.

Fort Good Hope in the Northwest Territories of northern Canada. It was Christmas 1984. Snow wrapped the 600 soul village and the mighty Mackenzie River transported huge ice floes up to the Arctic Ocean. An icy wind swept across the village, and the houses seemed to crouch down under the snow masses and moved closer together. The sun didn't make it beyond the horizon, but it wasn't really dark. The aurora borealis danced over the sky and if you didn't see it, you saw millions of twinkling stars. From the windows of the houses seemed warm lights. The streets and roads were deserted.  
Only a few stray dogs ran around looking for something edible. Above the place lay an almost eerie silence. The inhabitants, mostly Inuit, sat in their houses and celebrated Christmas.

***

In the small office of the police station of Fort Good Hope, a young man sat at his desk and worked. He was the only person in this building. His colleagues had gone home in the afternoon to celebrate Christmas with their families.  
The young policeman had no family and that's why he volunteered to serve. His mother died when he was only six years old. His father left him with the grandparents because he couldn't take care of the boy.  
The grandfather died six years ago of a stroke and the grandmother almost three years ago of cancer. The young man was just in training at this time, a bloody young cadet, and knew nothing of his grandmother's illness. She regularly wrote letters to him, encouraged him to go on, if he wanted to give up, he poured out his heart to her, but she never mentioned anything about her illness.  
One day he received a message that his grandmother was in Inuvik in the hospital and he had to come quickly.  
It took him three days from Regina/Saskatchewan to Inuvik/NWT.  
His grandmother died in his arms, a peaceful smile on her lips. For a long time he had been mad at her because she hadn't told him that she was terminally ill, but then he understood that he couldn't have done anything anyway. She didn't want to burden him, he should just concentrate on his training. Yes, this was his beloved grandmother.  
His father was still alive, but had little contact with his son. He was also a policeman and the great idol of the boy, since early childhood. But he was stationed hundreds of kilometers away and had only sent the usual Christmas card.  
The young policeman sighed, leaned back in his chair and stretched. Well, it wasn't the first time he spent Christmas alone. And if you had no one to be with you, it was best if you did something meaningful. And what was more valuable than to do your work?  
He looked out the window. The storm had been abated and a light snowfall had started. He decided to go on patrol.  
He donned his parka, took his Stetson, his gloves, and shut down the police station. He breathed deep into the cold winter air, then made his way through the place. They knew him here. He has been working in Fort Good Hope for almost two years. Since he had finished the training. At first, his father was also stationed here, but was been transferred. The young man was proud because his father, the RCMP legend Sgt. Robert Fraser trusted him.  
Yes, this young policeman in Fort Good Hope, who voluntarily did the Christmas service, was no other than Constable Benton Fraser.

***

Ben pulled the hood of his parka over his head and pushed his hands deep into his pockets. It was cold, even for him. He felt the coldness in his left leg, which ached and felt stiff. This pain made him think of last Christmas he had spent in the hospital of Yellowknife. He had broken his leg when he followed a criminal, together with his father. He jumped off a cliff, landed unhappy and broke his leg, just below the knee. There was a violent snowstorm and Bob Fraser heaved his son and the criminal on the sled and brought them both to the police station.  
Ben was now unconscious and Bob was thankful for it, thus saving him the pain of transportation.  
They were snowed in for eleven days and Ben got a high fever. He had never seen his father so anxiously before.  
When he finally got to the hospital and was sure that he would keep his leg, Bob said goodby and left. Ben remained alone.  
And so he spent Christmas alone in the hospital. He couldn't even go into the woods like he did when he felt lonely.

Six months later, it had been already summer, he returned to his post to Fort Good Hope. 

He shook off the unwelcome thoughts and diverted his senses to the surroundings. Through the window of one of the houses he saw a family gathered at supper around the table. Husband, wife, grandparents and four children. The decorated tree sparkled and glistened in all its splendor and in the fireplace burned a warm, cozy fire.  
He pulled his parka tighter around the body and walked a little faster to get warm. What would he give for a cup of hot tea right now...

In another house he saw through the window a family sitting under the Christmas tree and unpacking presents. Eagerly he smiled as he saw the sparkling eyes of the children. Father and mother kissed and Ben felt a pang of longing in his heart. He remembered that also his parents had always kissed under the Christmas tree.

The church bells rang and tore him out of his memories. A few people came out of their houses, thickly wrapped in warm pelts to go to the evening mass. Some greeted him nicely and wished him Merry Christmas.  
He thanked them, but knew that Christmas wouldn't be happy for him, but that wasn't the fault of the people. It wasn't even his own fault.  
Slowly he went down to the Mackenzie River. Yearning and loneliness gnawed at his young heart and he wished that Christmas would finally be over. He didn't like this feast. 

His grandmother had always said that it was the feast of love, but then it was only to celebrate by people who were loved and who had someone to love. Something for people with families. Not for an almost twenty-two-year-old bachelor without parents and siblings, even with friends.  
His heart cramped and he felt a lump in his throat when he became painfully aware that he had no one to whom he really was important to. If he came home in the morning, he would only find an empty, cold cabin that wasn't even decorated in Christmas stuff. For what? Or better, for whom?

No one would wait for him. It wouldn't smell like Christmas roast and cookies. No decorated tree would stand in the room and no fire would burn in the fireplace and warm him.  
He wondered if anyone would ever miss him if he disappeared, just surrendered to the cold, soothing tides of the Mackenzie? Maybe he would see his mother again and his grandparents? He missed them terribly. Especially at Christmas. He missed them so much, his heart hurt. Maybe he'd be united with them again? Maybe... No, surely nothing would hurt him any more. He'd be free. He only had to surrender to Mother Nature.  
He remembered something that his mother had said when he was still very small: "Nature is not nice or cruel. It's just be."  
This sentence was imprinted on him.  
He climbed on a pingo, a tundra gras-covered ice mound, which was now overcast with snow and looked around. On one side, the enticing Mackenzie in his quiet, cold bed and on the other side Fort Good Hope, the illuminated, snow covered, like the icing of a cake, Christmas Village with the small, cozy houses and the warm lights in the windows. And the families who wanted to spend a peaceful Christmas.  
Good Hope, hope.  
The people who lived here hoped that they were protected and safe. And that's what he was here for. Proudly he looked down at the village. He, twenty-two-year-old Constable Benton Fraser, was here to protect these people so they could celebrate Christmas. They trusted him and that made him happy. He had a task, was needed.

***

When Ben came back to the police station, he found a packet on the window ledge. It was wrapped in red-green Christmas paper and adorned with a golden bow. His name was on it, and he wondered what that was and why someone had put it down for him. He took it to his office and opened it cautiously. In it he found a bag of homemade cookies, an orange, he loved oranges, a red Christmas apple and even chocolate. Also a bag of bark tea, some little fir twigs and a candle.  
He draped everything on a plate, put the kettle on the hearth, and lit the candle. When he wanted to clear the carton, he found a card to which someone had written handwrittenly:

 

"Thank you for being there and protecting us, Constable Fraser.  
Merry Christmas!"

 

TYK


End file.
